Dressed to kill at the Alley

By Joy Sewing |
July 24, 2013
| Updated: July 28, 2013 6:11pm

Top: James Black as Sir Henry Angkatell, from left, Laura E. Campbell as Veronica Craye, and Josie de Guzman as Lady Angkatell, in the Alley Theatre's production of "The Hollow." Left: Period costume designs for "The Hollow" by Tricia Barsamian.

Photo By Alley Theater

Top: James Black as Sir Henry Angkatell, from left, Laura E. Campbell as Veronica Craye, and Josie de Guzman as Lady Angkatell, in the Alley Theatre's production of "The Hollow." Left: Period costume designs for "The Hollow" by Tricia Barsamian.

Stitcher Janet Copestake hems a dress for the character of Henrietta Angkatell in the Alley Theatre's production of "Hollow" with costume Design by Tricia Barsamian. Photo by Tina Berry.

Photo By Gary Fountain/Freelance

(For the Chronicle/Gary Fountain, July 2, 2013)
Emily Neves as Midge Harvey, in this scene from Alley Theatre's production of the Agatha Christie mystery "The Hollow."

Photo By Gary Fountain/Freelance

(For the Chronicle/Gary Fountain, July 2, 2013)
Emily Neves as Midge Harvey, from left, Josie de Guzman as Lady Angkatell, and James Black as Sir Henry Angkatell, in this scene from Alley Theatre's production of the Agatha Christie mystery "The Hollow."

Photo By Gary Fountain/Freelance

(For the Chronicle/Gary Fountain, July 2, 2013)
Emily Neves as Midge Harvey, from left, Josie de Guzman as Lady Angkatell, and James Black as Sir Henry Angkatell, in this scene from Alley Theatre's production of the Agatha Christie mystery "The Hollow."

Photo By Gary Fountain/Freelance

(For the Chronicle/Gary Fountain, July 2, 2013)
James Black as Sir Henry Angkatell, and Laura E. Campbell as Veronica Craye, in this scene from Alley Theatre's production of the Agatha Christie mystery "The Hollow."

Photo By Gary Fountain/Freelance

(For the Chronicle/Gary Fountain, July 2, 2013)
Laura E. Campbell as Veronica Craye, and James Black as Sir Henry Angkatell, in this scene from Alley Theatre's production of the Agatha Christie mystery "The Hollow."

Photo By Gary Fountain/Freelance

(For the Chronicle/Gary Fountain, July 2, 2013)
Josie de Guzman as Lady Angkatell, and James Black as Sir Henry Angkatell, in this scene from Alley Theatre's production of the Agatha Christie mystery "The Hollow."

Photo By Gary Fountain/Freelance

(For the Chronicle/Gary Fountain, July 2, 2013)
Josie de Guzman as Lady Angkatell, and James Black as Sir Henry Angkatell, in this scene from Alley Theatre's production of the Agatha Christie mystery "The Hollow."

More Information

Agatha Christie's

'The Hollow'

continues at the Alley Theatre through Aug. 4. For tickets, visit alleytheatre.org.

What you wear before a murder and after are two different things.

It's one of the many noteworthy aspects of the Alley Theatre's production of Agatha Christie's "The Hollow." The show's 1940s-inspired costumes reflect the nuances of both life and death, said costume designer Tricia Barsamian.

"It can be so powerful what the clothes say. You can see how murder affects the characters emotionally through their clothing. Each look gives off clues," she said.

"The Hollow," directed by Gregory Boyd, tells the story of a weekend gathering at the Hollow family estate in which a male guest is murdered. Nearly everyone is a suspect, including his wife, current mistress and his film star ex-mistress.

"Almost everyone gets four different looks, and each costume signals a change of characters in a very significant way without me giving away too much," said Barsamian.

But it's the female characters, she said, that set the standard for the show's costumes.

"We have a sad female character, a strong artist, a matriarch who is worldy. With so many female roles, it makes creating their costumes much more involved and detailed."

Barsamian, a New York-based designer who also worked on the Alley's production of "Black Coffee" and "The Mousetrap," spent many hours researching 1940s history books for costume ideas. She also scoured eBay and Etsy for vintage and retro pieces. She said classic designers, such as Ralph Lauren, help to add modernity to a classic look.

Most instrumental in helping Barsamian create the costumes is the Alley's costume shop, which includes a team of drapers and other craftsmen, who help modify garments and make them look like something from the period. Each draper is responsible a character's dress from the underwear to the accessories.

"We're sculpting the characters from the ground up. Hopefully, when you see the play, you don't know what was custom, vintage or newly bought," Barsamian said.

One of the standout pieces created for the show is a Schiaparelli-inspired hat. The classic hat style is named for the Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli who was one of Coco Chanel's major rivals. Barsamian knew she wouldn't be able to find one, so she had the Alley shop create one.

Barsamian said the finale scene is an example of the power of costume design. It features one of the characters wearing a vintage black velvet coat with gold embroidery that Barsamian found in London.

"The character is only in it for about a minute, but it's such an important look. If she didn't wear this, the show wouldn't end same."